They did this with counterspell, dark ritual, and other staples.
....Sure, but those were good cards (Ritual is broken, I know), but I too am fed up with the constant reprinting of Cancel, I'm sure they must be getting tons of hate mail over that, I mean, nobody really likes Cancel, they should bring Mana Leak back instead of that trash, I doubt it'd warp the metagame so much, and I'm sure a lot of people will like having it back.
This looks like an automatic shoe-in for Vampire decks, and I'd definitely test it in an MBC deck, it's absurdely resistant to removal, the life drain is just icing on the cake, and considering that an MBC deck should pack at least 4 more vampires main (Gatekeeper), and probably some Hexmages in SB.
A great card overall, I was hoping for another 5CC win condition more resilient than Ob-Nixilis for MBC decks, this looks like it could be what I wanted, while it won't kill BS Angel, it can keep her at bay until you draw some removal, yes, MBC is shaping up to merit some serious testing at the very least.
The Spider (if accurate) is pretty nice for a common. Early game it holds off the flying weenies, late game it outright kills the angels/vampires/dragons.
The Quest seems wordy. I guess they were forcing "quests" a bit, because it certainly could have been simpler.
Gemblade Cache - :1mana::symg:
Instant
Play Gemblade Cache only if a creature you control dealt damage to a creature this turn.
Put four +1/+1 counters on target creature.
I second that man, your design is far more elegant, now about the cards, they seem very very playable for Limited, I actually like that quest a lot since it requires just one counter, so it's quite easy to set up and the counter trigger condition should come up relatively fast, and if your opponent doesn't want to block your dudes so he doesn't trigger your quest, you're winning anyway:)
Lol, yeah cause 2/3 flyers for 2 that help enable landfall, white combat tricks that also allow for alpha strikes, and 4/4 flyers for 4 that also help landfall are all bad.
Do you play limited?
I second this,all of them seem very playable for limited I wouldn't mind opening either of these cards in the PR...if we had them here.
I love Disfigure, with Disfigure, Doom Blade and Gatekeeper, plus maybe some Wretched Banquet (and SB Deathmark) MBC decks will have a creature-killing capacity rivalling that of Odyssey MBC decks, minus Mutilate because Infest is only good vs. weenies.
I'd really hope to see a viable MBC deck emerge, I have some misgivings about it since part of what made MBC stand out was Cabal Coffers, since with all that mana you could really abuse Diabolic Tutor and Mirari, however we have Duress and Mind Sludge back, all I'd be hoping for would be a cheaper Diabolic Tutor (maybe a 1 :symb::symb: with pay 3 life as an additional cost).
I don't want to speculate on the counter, I'm fed up with this creature/noncreature counter BS, now it's not just having to leave mana open for the expensive counterspells, but also a dumb game of chance where you hope and pray you have both the critter/noncritter counterspells in hand, else your opponent will have a 50% chance to resolve his spell from the get-go...
In a few months no one will be able to believe what people posted in this thread... It's Upwelling all over again.
Really, guys, make a few screenshots and read that stuff again around christmas this year. You know, about sideboarding this card against decks with Baneslayer Angel. You will ask yourself which drugs were en vogue this summer.
I agree with you, this card *may* see some SB use if a deck with a heavy lifegain component shows up, but using it against Baneslayer Angel is ridiculous...great! you've just Darknessed the opponent, and next turn the angel will come back to give you a righteous ass-kicking, seriously, besides Doom Blade I'd rather have the new kill spell that also makes them lose 2 life as well for [MANA]1[/MANA]:symb::symb:, since it kills the annoying angel dead.
And if I'm playing MBC, I'd rather test Absorb Vis over this, since it's almost as crappy, but can actually be put to some use with its landcycling ability so 2 of them may end up being useful.
If some combo deck shows up, this will be a powerful weapon against it, Jester's Cap saw some play as an SB card, so this deserves a spin, I'd definitely test it in the SB.
nonsense. Cancel is a successful experiment. You seem to think that wizards unintentionally de-powered counterspells. Counterspells were turned down on purpose in order to prevent the Draw Go decks from existing. Just like LD was removed from viability because a large portion of the player base doesn't enjoy games where the opponent is playing that deck type.
Wizards needs a counterspell to always be there as a foil to combo's but they don't want the counterspell to be so strong that a player can literally do nothing but draw cards and play counterspells until they play their game winning card. UU counterspell was too strong, Cancel appears to be just right.
Just how many times do we have to read this bullcrap about monoblue decks being nothing more than sitting on your butt drawing cards and firing counters at everything, seriously, just because your casual deck packing tons of cool green dorks that cost 4 or more with some bombastic auras to make them the bestest creatures ever gets owned by a monoblue deck doesn't mean playing monoblue is that simple.
And don't bring up CMU Blue from 1998, it's old news, ever since I started playing when Odyssey was around I've never seen a monoblue deck doing what you say and being successful.
Try sitting around and counter everything your opponent plays, and tell me how does it go...
Gaining 1 life is not enough to make cipt duals playable.
I'd play Alara citp uncommon triple lands over these anytime.
On a second thought, playing mass of these could be somehow useful for control... but not sure
Yeah, I'd play the trilands over these anytime too, especially in a 2-color deck...seriously, I can't understand the flak against these lands, they are cheap fixing, and the free life is always welcome, if the Invasion duals saw play, I see no reason for these lands not seeing some amount of play.
Those foil bolts are absurdely awesome, the only thing I DON'T like is that they have printed Cancel yet again, Time Spiral, Tenth, SoA, M10, Zendikar and now as an MPR card...for Chrissake WOTC, Cancel is BAD, I doubt anyone was excited then this card was first printed, and they have printed it in FIVE sets already....
Stonewood Invocation was an instant, if that was what you were referring to...
My bad, that shows how much I played Teferi-based decks:p I have forgotten if some cards of that period were instants or not, since they had to play them in their turn anway, still, using a 3:symg: instant to save a guy from removal is not the most mana-efficient play, as oppossed to the new card.
The good thing about Vines of Vastwood is that it can save a creature from basically anything except for Day of Judgment. Including combat damage, Path to Exile, Terminate, Infest, Volcanic Fallout, etcetera. And it can double as a finisher or as a "removal" in the form of a combat trick. For GG, it seems very playable, maybe competitive-worth.
My thoughts exactly,this is not to be compared with Stonewood Invocation, the former was a "I'll pump my guy and all you can do about it is chump-block it", it was a sorcery thus had ZERO reactive value, this is however a surprisingly solid card, it can just counter removal for G, and if they used a removal spell on your attacking creature you can also punish them with 4 unexpected damage.
At the very least this merits testing in aggro decks.
I don't think this card is really that good. BBB is a really steep cost to pay, and if it's not kicked it's just awful all around. I mean Nekrataal has first strike, is targeted, and for most decks is easier to cast. It even could be abused because you could cheat it into play. Regardless, that was certainly not a must play card.
:facepalm:Nekrataal costs 2BB, CMC is a big difference, plus Nekrataal targets...so it does wonders vs pro-black or shroud creatures, and we all know how impressive is a 2-power first striker in Constructed most of the time.
Seriously, this guy is a significant improvement over Nekrataal 90% of the time.
What can I say about an Edict-on-legs for a paltry 3 mana? (sure, it's unplayable outside mono B but who cares).
A solid card that was long overdue, I can't see a reason for not snapping 4 of them right away if you plan on playing monoblack, whether it be aggro or control, this guy will make you very happy.
Seriously, a very big thumbs-up for this card, Cruel Edict+attacking bear or Cruel Edict+blocker is a deal for 3 mana.
GU Control will exist and will be a Tier 1 deck because of this little bug.
No, you don't drop this at turn one, just like you don't drop Baneslayer Angel or Broodmate Dragon at turn one. But this isn't supposed to be dropped at turn one. This is a control finisher. One might compare this to Serra Avenger, but this is a 5/5 for 1, Avenger was a 3/3 for 2.
Not only UG control, but any control deck with access to G may want to give this a spin, but I agree with you, this is not an early game card, this is a very powerful late-game card, and quite a topdeck too, your opponent basically has one turn to burn this little pest or it will get quickly out of hand.
....Sure, but those were good cards (Ritual is broken, I know), but I too am fed up with the constant reprinting of Cancel, I'm sure they must be getting tons of hate mail over that, I mean, nobody really likes Cancel, they should bring Mana Leak back instead of that trash, I doubt it'd warp the metagame so much, and I'm sure a lot of people will like having it back.
A great card overall, I was hoping for another 5CC win condition more resilient than Ob-Nixilis for MBC decks, this looks like it could be what I wanted, while it won't kill BS Angel, it can keep her at bay until you draw some removal, yes, MBC is shaping up to merit some serious testing at the very least.
I second that man, your design is far more elegant, now about the cards, they seem very very playable for Limited, I actually like that quest a lot since it requires just one counter, so it's quite easy to set up and the counter trigger condition should come up relatively fast, and if your opponent doesn't want to block your dudes so he doesn't trigger your quest, you're winning anyway:)
I second this,all of them seem very playable for limited I wouldn't mind opening either of these cards in the PR...if we had them here.
I'd really hope to see a viable MBC deck emerge, I have some misgivings about it since part of what made MBC stand out was Cabal Coffers, since with all that mana you could really abuse Diabolic Tutor and Mirari, however we have Duress and Mind Sludge back, all I'd be hoping for would be a cheaper Diabolic Tutor (maybe a 1 :symb::symb: with pay 3 life as an additional cost).
I don't want to speculate on the counter, I'm fed up with this creature/noncreature counter BS, now it's not just having to leave mana open for the expensive counterspells, but also a dumb game of chance where you hope and pray you have both the critter/noncritter counterspells in hand, else your opponent will have a 50% chance to resolve his spell from the get-go...
I agree with you, this card *may* see some SB use if a deck with a heavy lifegain component shows up, but using it against Baneslayer Angel is ridiculous...great! you've just Darknessed the opponent, and next turn the angel will come back to give you a righteous ass-kicking, seriously, besides Doom Blade I'd rather have the new kill spell that also makes them lose 2 life as well for [MANA]1[/MANA]:symb::symb:, since it kills the annoying angel dead.
And if I'm playing MBC, I'd rather test Absorb Vis over this, since it's almost as crappy, but can actually be put to some use with its landcycling ability so 2 of them may end up being useful.
The name sounds pretty cool too.
Just how many times do we have to read this bullcrap about monoblue decks being nothing more than sitting on your butt drawing cards and firing counters at everything, seriously, just because your casual deck packing tons of cool green dorks that cost 4 or more with some bombastic auras to make them the bestest creatures ever gets owned by a monoblue deck doesn't mean playing monoblue is that simple.
And don't bring up CMU Blue from 1998, it's old news, ever since I started playing when Odyssey was around I've never seen a monoblue deck doing what you say and being successful.
Try sitting around and counter everything your opponent plays, and tell me how does it go...
Yeah, I'd play the trilands over these anytime too, especially in a 2-color deck...seriously, I can't understand the flak against these lands, they are cheap fixing, and the free life is always welcome, if the Invasion duals saw play, I see no reason for these lands not seeing some amount of play.
My bad, that shows how much I played Teferi-based decks:p I have forgotten if some cards of that period were instants or not, since they had to play them in their turn anway, still, using a 3:symg: instant to save a guy from removal is not the most mana-efficient play, as oppossed to the new card.
My thoughts exactly,this is not to be compared with Stonewood Invocation, the former was a "I'll pump my guy and all you can do about it is chump-block it", it was a sorcery thus had ZERO reactive value, this is however a surprisingly solid card, it can just counter removal for G, and if they used a removal spell on your attacking creature you can also punish them with 4 unexpected damage.
At the very least this merits testing in aggro decks.
:facepalm:Nekrataal costs 2BB, CMC is a big difference, plus Nekrataal targets...so it does wonders vs pro-black or shroud creatures, and we all know how impressive is a 2-power first striker in Constructed most of the time.
Seriously, this guy is a significant improvement over Nekrataal 90% of the time.
A solid card that was long overdue, I can't see a reason for not snapping 4 of them right away if you plan on playing monoblack, whether it be aggro or control, this guy will make you very happy.
Seriously, a very big thumbs-up for this card, Cruel Edict+attacking bear or Cruel Edict+blocker is a deal for 3 mana.
Not only UG control, but any control deck with access to G may want to give this a spin, but I agree with you, this is not an early game card, this is a very powerful late-game card, and quite a topdeck too, your opponent basically has one turn to burn this little pest or it will get quickly out of hand.
I really like this one.